Curtis Giles Veteran of the Month, November 2002

I was born in 1958 around Labor day early in the morning in Troy New York, ?Home of Uncle Sam? our Nation?s mascot. All seemed well for the first few memories of early childhood , Then came the assasanation of President John F. Kennedy, and I felt the pain of watching my parents, and a Nation around me grieving for the first time. It was weeks of tears from all aspects of life as I knew it. Nothing is easily understood when your five?

?We moved into what was to be our new house, which was my Grandmother?s on my father?s side to begin what was my journey into the public school system, renevations took it from a one story to a two, and a half, My brother, and I slept on sheet rock for the first year?.

?Times moved on into troubling years with the 60?s hitting it?s midpoint, and my advancement in being aware of the world as it was. The civil rights movements, the emergence of rock, and roll , The Vietnam War, More assasinations, It was hard to comprehend being young, and seeing my Nation split between patriotism, and antiwar demonstrators. The news footage was the hardest, night, after night seeing, and hearing of the plight of our servicemen being killed, or wounded, or missing. I deceided then that I was going to join the military to make a difference for the others that had served before me, that their sacrifices were not in vain. I to would die if nessescary for the men that already did to protect my freedoms?

??Easing through grade school, I entered LaSalle Institute? a local military high school which offered JROTC in 1973, and rose through the ranks attaining the rank of Captain, serving on the Honor Guard. I chose to take the tests for entrance to the military in 1976 scoring well, and deceided to go enlisted rather then further attain Sr. or college ROTC, I didn?t want to be a 90 day butter bar at the time, I wanted to climb the ladder as in ?buck to bird?, ?

?Left for basic in June of 77,? 8 days after graduating high school, and am probably best known for ?being late for basic? yep,? fly out of Albany for Lackland AFB?,(with everyone else?s pay records), and land in NY, and lose my ticket, end up going for an overnighter in ?Brooklyn? and leaving out of Ft Hamilton the next day, I don?t think any of them got paid in basic, oh well, never saw any of them again then, or even to this day. .. I ?bypassed? basic after 8 days due to prior ROTC which enabled me to test, which I passed, and allowed me to move on quicker to tech school. I arrived after a few weeks of ?casual? at Chanute AFB in ILL for training on Aircrew ejection seats. Made the mistake of marrying an ?in service member?, and after graduation, ended up at ?England Air Plane Patch? Louisianna for my first, and only shortened tour, I ended up serving two years eleven months, and twenty nine days?

following this here outline brings me to ?Ah Yes?, my most memorable experience, most of the good folks here know, but for the record, (in short form),?

?On the night of December 1st 1979 I went to Natchitoches La. To see a concert at Nothwestern University featuring the bands ?Wet Willie?, and the ?Guess Who?. The city has a street festival called the ?Christmas Light Festival? in which they go around through the month of November, and hang up all the lights they can, and all at once at the end of the fireworks, etc., they turn them all on at once?After the show, I was making my way to the campus along the street when I came upon some fine folks argueing ,when one pulled a 357 magnum, and blew a hole in another causing him to land on a woman carrying her infant child, They fell into my arms rather quickly. I proceeded to drag them to safety behind the nearest automobile when another ?gentleman? pulls a 38, and thankfully he was quickly subdued by some other locals leaving the first shooter unattended still..

? Sensing that he was going to shoot his way out of the crowd as he had the weapon lowered, and circling, I waited until his back was towards me, and I ran and blindsided him from about 20 feet disarming him, or thinking so anyway,? I ended up rolling him over, and having to hold him down for a very long period of time until law enforcement could arrive, through the struggle, the surgery that was preformed on my arm for a torn muscle a bit back, torn open again, but I knew I couldn?t let go, even with the fact of the shooter was urinating on me, I still had to keep him subdued till the end?

?I didn?t hang out waiting for the TV crews, I just wanted to get the hell out of there, and I showed my military ID, and left, I figured my Commanding officers would know what was the right course of action to take when a person in the Military was involved in an ?off base? incident, wrong? Weeks passed, and I had not heard one word about the shooting, but it wasn?t long before? I was sent for an ?evaluation? and in a one day determination/evaluation, I was ?deemed to be a ?safety risk?, and was yanked off the flight line, and ?decertified?. I was informed that I could no longer do the job that I?d been doing for over two years now, and I could now be ?a cook, or motor pool? but nothing that goes bang, restricted from carrying a weapon, and being pulled from my job just didn?t sit well, fact is, I was in shock, and am still in shock over everything that happened so many years ago?

?Was offered an ?Honorable? discharge, and was sent packing, I took it as I didn?t want A ?dishonorable? or something that would hurt me in later life, was scared, and mixed up without counsel?

?For 18 years, I hid my shame of being discharged early, and the way my military career ended, The nightmares would creep in whenever any 1st of the month came around, especially December? I finally needed to find out what happened to all, and started with phone calls, and The ?Veteran? channel? where I found most of you?

...entered PTSD counseling where I found out a lot about the issues that I have been facing

?It has taken me three years to clear my DD214 of the mislabeling of ?Personality disorder?, and am now service connected for PTSD, with my arm, and hearing for the acoustic trauma of a close range discharge

?Enough babbling? My life has gone on, and I don?t know what path it would have taken back then if the incident didn?t happen, but it did, I?m where I?m at now which is alive, feeling like I lost a lot of years in the depths of hiding everything, but I?m trying to make a difference now as being involved with the DAV, and helping those that I can?

?That?s me?

? but being VOM is different, It's not about me?

? It?s about the countless millions of others that have came before, and served? ? it?s about the thousands that have never come home,?

?and, the millions that have been wounded protecting our freedoms?

?I want to thank all of them first,? I will always have December 1st?s, but all they have are their families memories... I'd also like to thank my wife Vicki for standing by me for these last 8 years, cause we all know that it takes a good woman to stand up such an unreasonable man..., and to my kids, Hope Serenity Hope actually grows into her name, and Tyler my little man...

... Amen?.

??Curtis??